I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Of course, Elodie was ultimately just a woman, and she had innate and irreparable deficiencies in physical fitness.

By now, she felt her lungs were throbbing with pain, and her limbs... no, her entire body was aching, a silent protest against the battle.

She silently moved to a safe area, wiping the sweat from her face and taking a short rest while regulating her breathing.

—Hmm? That's strange…

Then, to her surprise, she discovered that the enemy had retreated.

The enemy soldiers, who had been so fierce just moments before, are now slowly retreating!

No one climbed the long ladder up to the Goryeo Gate anymore; they left quickly and soon disappeared into the surrounding streets and alleys.

Seeing the enemy retreating rapidly, the soldiers had no suspicions and assumed that the enemy could not hold out any longer, so they cheered and celebrated their brief victory.

The enemy has retreated... On the surface, this is certainly a good thing.

But... for some reason, Elodie felt a tightness in her chest, an ominous premonition creeping into her heart...

Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed something unusual—eight large handcarts were speeding toward them from the end of the street directly opposite the gate.

Dozens of enemy soldiers struggled to push these vehicles, and the wheels spun rapidly.

It was clear that each handcart was fully loaded.

However, they were all covered with straw mats, so it was impossible to see what was hidden inside.

Elodie didn't know what was on those carts, nor why the enemy soldiers were pushing them toward the Imperial Gate.

But in that instant, her heart pounded, sounding a powerful warning signal: these carts must not be allowed near the gate!

Without hesitation, she shouted:

"Archers and musketeers, advance! Shoot down those men pushing the carts!"

Her shout immediately attracted the attention of Kondo Shusuke, Shimada Kai, and others.

They followed Elodie's gaze to the strange "caravan" outside the gate, and then, like Elodie, they all vaguely sensed that these handcarts were very unusual!

Shimada Kai shouted at the top of his lungs:

"Quick! Stop them!"

Splash splash splash splash...

With rapid footsteps, archers and musketeers quickly advanced, and a barrage of bullets and arrows immediately followed.

However... shooting has always been a very difficult skill.

Hitting a stationary target is difficult enough, let alone shooting a moving target.

Clearly, none of the guards at Akasaka Mikado possessed such exceptional marksmanship.

The vast majority of bullets and arrows hit the ground, striking only a handful of people.

This level of interception was simply insufficient to stop the convoy from approaching...

Despite their immense anxiety, Elodie and his companions could only watch helplessly as the convoy drew closer.

The enemy soldiers placed these handcarts directly beneath the Koryo Gate of Akasaka-Mikado, and then fled as if their lives depended on it.

Suddenly, a gentle breeze blew by, blowing open the loosely covering straw mat on a handcart.

At this moment, Elodie and the others finally saw what the handcarts were carrying—large wooden barrels.

In a daze, Elodie caught a familiar smell... the stench of gunpowder!

At that very moment, on the rooftop of a house diagonally opposite Akasaka Mikado, Shuten-dōji raised his bow and arrow.

He slowly drew his bow, tightening the string as he aimed at the wooden barrels.

The arrows he used were not ordinary arrows, but fire arrows with flaming tips.

After drawing the bowstring to its fullest extent, he smiled expectantly and softly recited the cheering slogan that the Japanese often shout when watching fireworks:

"Tama-ya (TAMAYA)"

The next instant, he released the bowstring—the rocket shot through the air! It left a crimson afterimage in mid-air and struck a wooden barrel on a handcart.

Then--

Boom!!!

The deafening roar robbed everyone present of their hearing!

The instant the rocket struck the barrel, a terrifying explosion, accompanied by a surging wave of flames, blasted through the entire city gate.

The Goryeo Gate of Akasaka Mikado collapsed with a bang after shaking a few times!

Bricks, stones, and tiles fell with a rustling sound... and countless plumes of dust rose upwards...

……

……

Edo, Edo Castle, Ōhiro-ma—

Tokugawa Iemochi and Tenshōin sat side by side on the main seats, staring blankly ahead while listening to the sounds coming from various battlefields, including the "Thirty-Six Appearances".

They knew nothing about military affairs, so even if they wanted to help, they couldn't.

Therefore, all they can do right now is wait here, listening to the latest battle reports from various battlefields while praying to the gods for victory and wishing their soldiers good fortune.

Just then—

Boom!!!

The sudden explosion was so astonishing that even the mother and son, who were in the main hall of Edo Castle, could hear it and vaguely felt the tatami mats beneath their feet tremble slightly.

Tokugawa Iemochi's expression immediately changed:

"what happened?"

Soon, the guard brought him accurate information:

"Your Highness! The enemy has destroyed the Koryo Gate of Akasaka-Mikado!"

Upon hearing this, the pupils of both mother and son suddenly contracted to pinpoint size.

Tokugawa Iemochi pressed on, asking:

"What about the guards at Akasaka Mikado? Are they alright?"

"It's still unclear!"

"..."

Tokugawa Iemochi gritted his teeth, his cheeks clouded with a somber expression.

"...Iemo."

Tenshōin suddenly turned his head and cast a determined look at Tokugawa Iemochi.

Although she didn't say anything, Tokugawa Iemochi understood the meaning in her eyes.

"..."

Tokugawa Iemochi closed his eyes and remained silent.

A moment later, he clenched his fists, which were hanging down naturally, and then opened his eyes wide—a glint of light flashed in his eyes, as if he had made up his mind.

*******

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Chapter 950 Tokugawa Iemochi and Tenshōin, who personally went to the front lines! [5300]

This earth-shattering roar not only reached Edo Castle, but also Yotsuya Mikado, which is very close to Akasaka Mikado, and Kohinata Mikado, which is a little further away.

……

……

Yotsuya Royal Gate——

"Ok?"

At the very moment the explosion occurred, Otani Seiichiro froze on the spot, then frowned and turned to look southeast, in the direction where Akasaka Mikado was located.

Gazing at the thick black smoke rising and surging into the sky, his brows furrowed even more, and he appeared deep in thought.

……

……

At the same time, Kohinata Mikado—

Because of the distance, by the time the sound of the explosion traveled from Akasaka Mikado to Kohinata Mikado, only a dull thud remained.

Chiba Michizaburo, Chiba Jutaro, and the others were focused on the battle at hand and did not notice the sudden sound, assuming it was just another artillery barrage.

Only Chiba Eijiro and Chiba Sadakichi noticed.

Chiba Eijiro stopped his sword and looked toward the distant Akasaka Mikado, which was beyond his field of vision, following the sound.

Not far away, Chiba Sadakichi did the same thing.

Suddenly, Chiba Eijiro turned his head and looked at his old uncle:

"Uncle, may we 'leave' you here?"

……

……

Akasaka Mikado——

"...Ugh...! Cough cough cough! Cough cough cough cough!"

After coughing up a large amount of smoke and dust that she had inadvertently inhaled, Elodie struggled to open her eyes.

A blurry scene came into view.

As her vision gradually returned, she saw wisps of black smoke and a somber sky.